The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), Patuakhali issued the notice recently with a view to avoiding launch accidents.

BIWTA assistant director Sultan Ahmed told this correspondent that in the season of natural disaster, loss of life and property become much higher if launch accidents occur at night.

BIWTA also filed 62 cases against 20 single deck launch owners with the Marine Court in last nine months this year. There were allegations of various irregularities including overloading, failure in maintaining the time table and lacking trained master, driver or 'Sokani.'

Mobile courts also fined various launch owners about one lakh taka in the district.

At present 30 single deck launches run in 12 internal routes in the district. Each launch has a capacity to load passengers below 150.